Ouran High School Host Club: Wanted
by EibonVirgo
Summary: Kuchikia Aisare, or Kia for short, is a shy 1st-year at Ouran Academy. Despite her relatively good looks and suggestions from other female classmates, she refuses to visit the infamous Host Club. But the Hitachiin twins are determined to make Kia their honored guest. Maybe, just maybe, Hikaru and Kaoru can make Kia feel wanted? (OCXHikaru) (OCXKaoru)
1. Preface

Ouran High School Host Club: Wanted

**Hey everyone! Starting an Ouran Fic, because I'm almost done with the series! This is just the preface, what I could think up at 11:20 on a school night...**

**Enjoy!**

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Preface:

"Kia!" I glanced up at Hana, whose eyes were dripping tears.  
"What is it, Hana?" I asked in my relatively quiet voice, closing my book.  
"I gave my love letter to Kaoru... but he and his brother tricked me!"  
"They tricked you?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.  
"I went out to meet with Kaoru," Hana explained through her tears. "but the person I met said that he was Hikaru. So, then he told me that Kaoru had a crush on someone else, but he liked me and asked if I would like him instead... When I said yes, it was actually Kaoru I was talking to, and he and Hikaru told me that I'm ugly and have no common decency!" With that, Hana burst into tears again.  
Now, personally, I wasn't on a friendly level with the Hitachiin twins. No one was. They were known troublemakers, and liked to do whatever they pleased.  
Being the shy girl I was, I didn't like to get involved with troublemakers. I would much rather curl up with one of my books. But Hana was my friend, and I didn't tolerate when people picked on my friends.  
I stood up, slid my book into my satchel, and patted Hana's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll talk to them."  
Typically, one would find the Hitachiin twins outside or cooped up, always alone. I decided to search outside first.  
I jogged across the grounds, my dark hair flapping in the breeze. I knew these grounds well, being a 3rd year in the middle school class. Next year, I'd move up to Ouran Academy.  
Just attending the school was prestigious enough, as only exceedingly wealthy families with high social standards were allowed to enroll their children into the school. The Kuchikia family was well-known for their mass production of automobiles, stretching from here in Japan, all the way to Europe. I'm an only child of course, so I'll be expected to take up the family business someday.  
As I reached the courtyard, the grand fountain spitting clear blue water, I spotted a pair of identical boys with simple orange hair, exactly the same color and style.  
"Excuse me!" I called to them, and the two glanced over their shoulders at me. "Hitachiin twins? Hikaru and Kaoru?"  
I was in their same class... And we had a couple of classes together. I knew their voices, but that was all.  
"What do you want?" the twin on the left asked curtly.  
"You hurt my friend Hana's feelings," I replied.  
"Airashi Hana?" the twin on the right asked. "That girl is a waste of time. It's not our fault if she can't handle rejection."  
"I want you to apologize," I told them politely.  
The twins glanced at each other, then burst into bouts of cruel laughter. "You must be joking!"

"I'm afraid I'm telling the truth," I said, increasing the volume of my soft voice to get my point across.  
The two twins were stunned for a moment, until they both formed identical Cheshire Cat grins.  
In unison, they replied, "Let's play the _Which One is Hikaru Game_!"  
I stared at them for a moment. "If I win, you'll apologize."  
Both twins nodded simultaneously.  
Staring between them, I took a moment to consider it. All I'd known was their voices, but if I listened hard enough...  
With a sigh, I turned around and began to walk the other way.  
Behind my back, both twins snickered, obviously deducing that I wouldn't be able to guess.  
Then I called over my shoulder, "Hikaru is on the right."  
Judging by their silence, I'd been correct.

* * *

**Hooray! Kia got it right!**

**It's basically how I can tell the twins apart. Hikaru is Todd Haberkorn ^^ I can guess it right when we're playing the game, too (YOU JUST LOST THE GAME ;D)**

**Sowwee for the short chapter.**

**Thanks for reading! More coming! See ya! ;D**

**-Eibon**


	2. Something Borrowed

**Hey everyone! Due to the overwhelming response I got to the prologue, I have decided to continue this fanfiction! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 1:

"Heeeey! Heeeey! Hey Kia-chaaaaaan!"

_ Just when I was getting comfortable... Maybe if I didn't answer, they'd just go away..._

"Oh Kiaaaaaa-chaaaaaan!"

I dug my nose further into my book, skimming through the passages faster in an attempt to block out the noise.

"Kia-chan!" A hand snatched my book out of my hand and brought it into the air.

I was startled by the sudden movement, and glanced up into the ochre eyes of the more mischievous Hitachiin twin.

"Kia-chan," Hikaru protested with an innocent-looking pout, "we've been trying to get your attention for a long time!"

"I doubt it's been a long time," I replied in my loudest voice, which really was quieter than a whisper. "May I have my book back, please?"

Hikaru skimmed through the worn pages of the hardcover book that I'd found in my father's library. "_Great Expectations_? Honestly, Kia-chan, shouldn't you stick to literature that was written in this century?"

"I enjoy old texts," I answered casually. "May I please have my book?"

"I tried reading that once," Kaoru came up behind Hikaru and read over his shoulder. "I think I fell asleep during the first chapter."

"Hikaru," I told him in a tone that sounded a little like I was complaining, even though I rarely got irritated. "My book, please?"

"Why?" he grumbled. "It's so _boring_ anyways, Kaoru and I should get you something better to spend your time on."

"Oh, I know!" Kaoru exclaimed, a cat-like grin forming on his thin face. "You should come to the Host Club with us!"

"No thank you," I replied. "I have homework to do."

"You can do it in the Host Club!" Hikaru joined in. "I bet Haruhi could help you!" then he too grew his own mischievous smile. "Maybe Tama-chan will pour you some tea, too."

"Hikaru," I sighed, ignoring his suggestive manner of handling things. I raised myself up onto my toes and tried to reach my book in his outstretched hand, "may I please have my book?"

Hikaru seemed to think of this as a game; he skipped around me and raised his arm higher in the air to keep the text away from me.

"You'll have to try harder, Kia-chan!" Hikaru teased. "Kaoru, catch!"

He tossed it across a couple of desks at Kaoru, who jumped up and caught it.

"You guys!" I protested in my loudest voice, which again wasn't very loud at all.

"Gotta catch me, Kia-chan!"

Then a tiny redhead tripped Kaoru, sending him flying into Hikaru. The figure picked up the book and closed it delicately, handing it across a desk to me.

"You guys are asses," Mai grumbled. "I still can't get why girls waste their time with you two in the Host Club."

"Because we're just so _interesting_, Mai-kun," Hikaru answered.

"Yeah, we appeal to the intimate side of human nature," Kaoru finished.

"Tch," Mai scoffed, "you guys make me sick."

Mai was taller than me (well, everyone was taller than me except for Haruhi. We were the same height), and had short and tousled mahogany hair dyed black near the nape of his neck. A rattail braid hung over his right shoulder, but it most normally reached down to his waist. His eyes were blue, and always either narrowed in irritation or straight with boredom.

"Thank you, Mai," I said, but I don't think he heard me.

"And stop trying to drag more girls who actually have lives into the Host Club with you. If you really wanted to appeal to normal girls, you'd start acting normally."

"But normal is so booooring, Mai-kun!" the pair countered in a whine.

"But I'm normal all the time," I said quietly, "and you're always wasting your time with me."

Mai threw back his head and laughed, not needing to say anything else.

"Aw, don't be so mean Kia-chan!" Hikaru complained. "Just come to the Host Club with us today!"

I tugged on the collar of the yellow frock I was required to wear as my uniform. "I have homework," was my repeated reply.

Hikaru was about to make a complaint, but the professor smacked his ruler on the corner of his desk.

His hard gray eyes scanned the room. "I'm sure none of you were aware, but class has started. _Please_ take your seats."

Hikaru and Kaoru sheepishly skittered across the room to their seats, and Mai passed me to take his seat in the very back of the class. "You don't really have homework, do you?"

I smiled subtly at him and tentatively shook my head.

* * *

_Dickens, Dickey, Dickinson, Diderot, Donne, Dostoevsky, Doyle_. I'd already read through most of Dickens' works, so I was moving on to different authors. I picked The Grand Inquisitor and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes off of the shelf and held them both against my chest, navigating out of the tall shelves of books in Library #2.

The elder works were near the back, since students these days were more into works of post-apocalyptic fiction than fiction of remotely possible things.

I passed by some giggling girls who were crowded around the latest issue of Cosmopolitan, and a pair of boys watching them through the bookshelves.

My mother had always told me that innocence was the best thing anyone could have, and that it made you beautiful no matter what. I wondered, had those girls' mothers ever told them that?

As I passed around a corner, I barreled into a boy who I knew was not in my year, with smooth black hair and glasses.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I should've been watching where I was going."

The boy knelt down and gathered his own books, handing me mine. "It's no trouble." then he scrutinized me with brown eyes. "You're Aisare Kuchikia, aren't you?"

"Y-Yes," I stuttered, hiding behind the thickness of my books.

"I don't believe we've ever met; I suppose that's to be expected, since you have never been to the Host Club, and we are not in the same year."

Hm. He was perceptive. If we'd never met, though, there was no doubt that my name had drifted through the student body a number of times.

"You must be Kyoya Ootori," I mumbled.

"Yes," he replied. "I'm surprised you know who I am."

I'd never been to the Host Club, but that didn't mean I didn't listen to what the surrounding girls said about it.

Kyoya was cold, calculating, riposte at times. He held information on everyone who came in and out of the Host Club, and used it all to his advantage.

He was also Mai's "mentor," who supposedly favored his ruler over Mai.

I tasted my words carefully. "Just because I'm an unimpressionable girl who doesn't spend my time chasing after boys who will never like me does not mean that I don't pay attention to things that go on around me."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. Was he surprised that I'd spoken so intelligently, let alone so much in one sentence?

I decided not to shy my eyes away like I normally would, because I knew firsthand that Kyoya was powerful in his own way. Mai had also mentioned to me in his recent rants that Kyoya liked to win, and there was nothing I disliked more than egotistic and competitive people.

"Well, in that case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Aisare."

"Likewise, Ootori-san."

"_Kyoya_," he replied, adjusting his glasses before walking away.

I gave a little sigh that shook my ribcage and went in the opposite direction, out of the library and towards the science wing of Ouran.

On my way down the hallway, I passed the principal's office. I'd always thought the principal was a nice man, but then again, I'd never seen him angry. So I couldn't really explain why there was a screaming match ensuing behind the door to his office.

I couldn't hear half of what was being said, the voices were so livid. In the ten seconds I'd been standing there, the door suddenly flew open again, and Mai stumbled out into the hallway.

"I said I was sorry!" he called behind him, and the door slammed behind him.

Mai composed himself and straightened his blue jacket, which was part of the male uniform at Ouran. Half the time, I marveled at the fact that he actually wore the school's uniform. Well, everything but the tie.

"Mai!" I exclaimed in a voice louder than normal. "What happened to you?!"

Mai was one of the handsomest boys at Ouran. Handsome and _dangerous_, that's for sure. A few months ago, he broke a large and quite expensive window in the main hall during a petty brawl.

The Host Club took him in as a Host to help pay for the damage, and being the rebellious type, he claimed to wholly despise the Host Club as well as its members.

Today, said _dangerous_ male was donning a cut along his right cheekbone, a split lip, and a dark circle under one eye. By the looks of it, Mai had attempted to fix his hair and given up on it after a while.

"Oh, uh... I punched a guy. Or two."

"Why do you look so ravaged? I've never seen you like this."

"I didn't take many punches. But I was thrown into some crap."

"Ow. I'm sorry."

"Save your sorries," Mai retorted. "Got any makeup on you? _The Shadow King_ is going to go into creeper-mode if he sees me like this."

"Oh," I mumbled. "Sorry, Mai. I don't own makeup." Knowing "The Shadow King" was Mai's nickname for Kyoya Ootori, I continued. "Speaking of The Shadow King... I met Kyoya in the library this afternoon."

"Oh yeah? What'd he say?"

"I think people talk about me behind my back. He seemed to know that I don't talk very vehemently, and that I don't attend the Host Club like every other mentally challenged girl at this school."

Mai, looking irritated as always, blew a thick strand of red hair from his eyes. "Eh. Don't be bothered by anything he says."

"I don't like the way he thinks he knows everything," I huffed.

"Then when he doesn't know something, it becomes the end of the world and he makes it everyone else's problem," Mai agreed, playing with the fraying end of his rattail.

"He seems absolutely _unbearable_," I sniffed.

"Oh, he is," Mai replied with a terse grin. Then the smirk became something synonymous with what I'd expect from Hikaru or Kaoru. "So, Kia, since we're on the same page... Wanna help me with something?"

Cautiously, I clutched my books tighter to my chest. "...what is it?"

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**Hope you all enjoyed! More chapters out soon!**

**Special thanks to Dark Kisshu, who is kindly letting me feature her OC, Mai! Go check out her Ouran story, Kyoya's apprentice!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**See ya! ;D**

**-Eibon**


	3. Something Brought

**Hey again! Thanks for all the nice reviews! I have consulted with Mai herself on this and future chapters... Hopefully it meets everyone's expectations! Enjoy! **

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Chapter 2:

My face turned red as I stood in front of Music Room #3.

_I can't believe I'm doing this._

I took a deep intake of breath, closed my hand around the gilded knob of the tall door, and pulled.

I was hit by the fresh scent of flowers. Hyacinth, daisies, roses, and something else I couldn't detect. It was a wide room that was extended into different sections. There were all kinds of girls clumped into their own corners, all wearing the Ouran uniform, drinking tea and giggling wildly.

"Kia-chan!"

_ Oh no._

Hikaru picked me up and spun me around, and tossed me at Kaoru. "We knew you'd come, Kia-chan!"

"U-Um, yeah," I mumbled. "Can you put me down, please?"

Another boy, blonde with violet eyes looked over my head when Kaoru had finally put me down. Then he held a rose out to me. "And who is your pretty friend?"

I knew him immediately as Tamaki Suoh, who was supposed to be the womanizer of the Host Club.

"Back off, Tama-chan!" Hikaru whined. "Kia-chan is here for us!"

I was about to protest when Kyoya appeared out of nowhere, adjusting his glasses. "Hm? Aisare Kuchikia? I didn't expect to see you here."

I didn't expect to be here, I almost said.

"C'mon, Kia-chan! Let's go have some tea!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Perhaps I could play you something on the piano!" Tamaki suggested with a smirk.

"Oh, boy," Kyoya sighed, adjusting his glasses and beginning to write something down on his clipboard.

"HEY!"

The Host Club went silent. All the girls who'd been staring at us already immediately quit their chatter, gazing with wide eyes at Mai, who had shut everyone up.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, go jump in a lake." Mai took my wrist and led me over to the other side of the room where there was a little sofa and a couple cups of tea. "Kia is here for me."

The Host Club remained silent for a very long moment. I tried to calm myself down after that episode, breathing in and trying to ignore the stares of the rest of the Hosts. My face was probably beet red.

Mai poured me a cup of tea and stuck a Pocky stick in his own, then glared around him at those who were watching. "What?! Nothing to see here!"

After a few murmurs, the girls went back to their endless chatter, but the Hosts were still staring at us.

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Mai said.

"That was _horrifying_," I choked. "I think my life flashed before my eyes!"

"Well, you could just request me next time. It'll be a lot easier to avoid getting swamped."

"N-Next time?"

"Well, we'll get to that."

Mai glanced around me, where the staring Hosts were beginning to make their way towards us.

"Time to begin phase 2," Mai snickered. "Pick up your teacup and pretend to be happy."

I set my books down on the sofa next to me and picked up the cup, a basic Jinori set of china.

I took a tentative sip; it was warm and sweet, probably Earl Grey with one or two lumps of sugar.

I didn't drink tea often, but I did know a lot about it. Such was expected from the daughter of Kuchikia Ayase.

"Mai," Tamaki asked tentatively. "Are you going to be polite and introduce us to your friend?"

"Sure," Mai agreed smoothly. "This is Kia, my _girlfriend_."

I heard something, right in the back of my mind. Like something had broken.

It was then that I realized that Kyoya was standing next to us, and the tip of his pencil had snapped. He was holding it so strongly in his pale hand that his knuckles had turned white.

Hikaru stared at me with his mouth open. "B-But M-Mai, y-you're gay, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Mai replied ambiguously. "Maybe not."

Then another, louder snap.

Kyoya had broken his pencil in half.

Mindlessly, I reached into my bag, got a pen out, and held it up to Kyoya. "Here, this won't break as easily. You can write without interruption."

Kyoya stared at me with hard, cold eyes. Then he stalked away.

I turned to Mai, who had his hand pressed over his mouth to stifle laughter.

I blinked. "Was it something I said?" I'd thought I was being polite.

"Well," Tamaki coughed. "We should get back to hosting! Nice to meet you!"

I gave a tentative smile and raised the teacup to my lips again; once they had drifted out of earshot, Mai burst into an intense fit of laughter.

"Kia, did you see his face?! That was _PRICELESS_!" then he raised his teacup to take a drink.

Why did Kyoya react like that? I knew that Mai had hatched this idea in order to "_piss off Kyoya_," as he'd put it, but I didn't quite understand.

...then it hit me.

I paused. "U-Um, Mai... Does Kyoya have feelings for you?"

Mai spit out his tea, at quite the distance might I add. "WHAT? ARE YOU JOKING?! THAT'S DISGUSTING!" Mai leaned closer to me, tossing an arm lazily around my shoulder. "Kia, let me let you in on a little secret. Kyoya does not _feel_. Kyoya does not have a heart. He's most likely a robot or a zombie or something."

Sheepishly, I set down my teacup. "Ok, then. Are you satisfied with this outcome, Mai?"

"Satisfied?!" Mai's face broke into a smile. His blue eyes were light. "I'm fucking _ecstatic_!"

Then he shrunk down, covering his mouth. "I'm not supposed to say that word in the Host Club..." he inched closer and whispered, "Kyoya's going to hit me with his ruler..."

But The Shadow King was nowhere in sight.

* * *

"When do you usually leave here, Mai?" I asked a little while later.

"Usually when Kyoya dismisses me... But I cleared all my appointments today so we could meet!" Mai grinned proudly. "It doesn't look like he's around... And he's already pissed off at me. I don't think there would be any harm in sneaking out."

Mai jumped up and offered me his hand, theatrically wrapping it around his arm, and we left the Music Room with almost no trouble, and then let go of my arm once we'd reached the hallway.

He sighed as he walked me towards the main entrance of the school, but it was more of a happy sigh. Controlled.

"So, you're going to come request me for the Host Club again, right?" Mai asked hopefully.

"W-What?!" I squeaked. "A-Again?"

"Yeah! Other than the Kyoya thing, you're the only guest I've ever had that doesn't say stupid things to me every five seconds."

"Oh," I mumbled. "Sure, Mai, I'll come again sometime."

"Really? Tomorrow?"

"O-Ok."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Mai nodded, pleased with himself.

"MAI!"

The twins suddenly came streaking down the hallway, double blurs of identical orange, and easily lifted Mai up by the shoulders. "We're having a meeting! Hosts only!"

"Kiiiiaaaaaa!" Mai complained. "REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE!"

"O-Ok!" I called at him.

"AVENGE MEEEEEE!" he called, maybe a little too melodramatically, as Hikaru and Kaoru dragged him away.

I giggled a little to myself. How would I ever live without Mai?

* * *

"Aisare, would you say Grace?"

"Yes, father."

My parents bowed their heads. "Thank you, God, for this lovely day. Thank you for filling our hearts with light so that we may face the next, and thank you for giving us the strength to work our best each and every morn. Thank you for the things we have, as other people are not so lucky, and let our good luck extend from here to the near future.

"Please bless this meal, and bless those who have no meal tonight. Amen."

My family and I said our dinner prayers in a cycle. Tomorrow, my father would say Grace. Then my mother, then me again.

As the only child, I was supposed to learn every tradition of our family and uphold it in the highest. Even our religious values, which were not always at the top of the list.

I was required to be pristine, polite, groomed, everything a wealthy businessman's child should be.

"How was your day, Father?" I asked. I was required to say that, too.

"It was all right. We've produced a new fleet of around 2,500 cars this week alone. I've made a deal to send them to a dealer in America."

"How much?"

"¥50,000."

"At the rate your company is producing, the monthly income should be around ¥200,000."

"Very good, Aisare. You are learning quickly."

I gave a short nod at my father, but didn't look at him. I loved my father, but he could be demanding and detached at times.

"How was your day, Aisare?" my mother asked pleasantly.

"I checked out some new books," I answered. Then I added, "I visited the Host Club for the first time today."

"What is a Host Club?"

"A superficial expression of lonely people trying to fill the void in their lives because they simply don't appreciate the good things they already have."

"And you attended it?"

"I was helping a friend of mine."

"Oh? Which friend?"

In a small voice, I replied, "Mai."

"Aisare, how many times have I told you? That boy is a terrible influence!"

"Mai is my _only friend_," I replied timidly. "The only one I appreciate, at least. I consider him my _best friend_."

"That may be so, but he is dangerous."

"Father, he's as dangerous as an alarm clock. He can burst into fits of loud, crazy, uncontrollable energy, but you can turn him off if you know how."

I think my father must've appreciated the metaphor I used, because he didn't reply after that.

"But Aisare," my mother said, "don't you have friends of your own gender?"

There was Haruhi... But my parents didn't know she was a girl.

"Mother, I don't participate in the things most girls do at this age. I'm only appreciated for who I am by the opposite gender."

My mother didn't protest, either.

I swallowed down the rest of my supper, a rich serving of chicken and broccoli, and excused myself from the table.

Outside of the dining room was the foyer, where a grand chandelier hung over the stairwell leading upstairs. A portrait of my family hung at the dividing wall, where the stairs split into two different areas of the upper floor.

I took my time ascending the stairs; my room was on the right side of the manor, near the very back.

It was different from the rest of the house, in the way that it was sophisticated and refined but still fit the needs of a teenage girl.

I had a small bookcase near the closet and a twin sized bed clothed in my favorite color, which was pale green. My closet was walk-in, and had two racks from wall to wall of my usual style, which was a sundress. I owned the occasional pair of jeans and tee shirt, but I just wasn't used to wearing them every day.

I had dedicated the area of my room nearest to the window to my guilty pleasure. Besides reading, of course.

My acoustic guitar was on its hook near the window, my sheet music set neatly next to it. The piano downstairs in the grand hall was also for my use.

I picked up the black guitar, weighing it in my hands and strumming it quickly.

Mai had gotten me into it, honestly. I'd seen him playing someone's guitar one day, so I'd learned. I'd grown up learning to play classical instruments, like piano and violin, so I'd easily persuaded my parents to let me take lessons. Truthfully, they'd thought I was learning to play Spanish guitar.

Which I could, but I didn't like it. I liked composing my own music.

Maybe, if I'd ever had a say in my own life, I'd have become a musician.

I set down my guitar and opened my window, climbing out into the terrace and up onto the roof.

I could always see the stars from here, and the world seemed so small.

After a day of seeming so tiny to an entire student body, it was nice to be up here where I could imagine myself larger than life.

I wonder, how would things be different if I was more outgoing?

I think about it sometimes.

But like every other time, I decided to push it from my thoughts and drown in others, ones that may actually one day be possible.

* * *

** A little shorter than I would've liked it... But I promise, there's more coming! Thanks for everyone who bothers to read!**

**See ya ;D**

**-Eibon**


	4. Something Expendable

**Sooo, this chapter is slightly angsty because of my angsty experiences this afternoon. I tend to insert personal experiences into my stories.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3:

On Saturday, my schedule varied. There were times when I was free to roam wherever, and others when my father hosted an event or something for the workers in his company.

Apparently, the automobile industry was flourishing these days.

Today, I had absolutely nothing planned. At least for now. Tonight, I had to entertain party guests with small talk and impress them with my evident politeness.

I'd already finished my books the previous day, so staying home and curling up with a story was out of the question. Especially as my family's workers would be rushing around getting things set up for the night, and I didn't want to get in their way.

I put on my favorite sundress, white with tiny green flowers, and tied my hair up so that it was off of my shoulders.

Then I headed outside (with my mother's permission of course) and walked the path towards the poorer area of town.

My family lived in a very upscale neighborhood, lawn after lawn after lawn of big and beautiful houses. Ouran Academy was right down the street, enough that I could walk to school every day.

I always tried to, but my father insisted that I would collapse out of exhaustion if I walked the way with all the books I carried.

Today was different, since the only thing I carried was the handbag slung over my shoulder.

The day was bright and pleasant, not too hot and not too cold. A lovely day to be outside.

Down in the middle-class area of town, people had crowded the shops. I always passed through here when I went out.

There was a little shop in the corner of town that sold musical instruments, and they always opened their door for me.

I knocked tentatively on the window, of the shop; it opened at noon, and it was currently almost half past 11 AM.

A lady behind the glass stated at me with her wide brown eyes, then rushed to open the door for me.

"Kia, dear, good morning!"

"Good morning, Mrs. Kanekawa. Do you mind if I help you open up?"

"Not at all, dear. I can always use the extra help!"

I slipped through the door and headed deeper into the shop, and Mrs. Kanekawa handed me a pair of violins to set on the windowsill.

"How are you today, Kia?"

"I'm doing well. My father has an event tonight with CEO's from the Shibuya unit of his company. I didn't want to get in their way, so I came here so that I could be of use to someone."

Kanekawa smiled tiredly. She was a simple lady, a widow with two children studying abroad in France. She liked to baby me, and appreciated that I didn't take the middle class for granted like other upper class, wealthy people.

She, like me, had a wide taste for music, and ran this shop on her own. I liked to assist her, sometimes loitering around and playing with the instruments.

I traipsed around the black piano at the front of the store, tapping the keys to play Beethoven's 4th, but not making any noise.

The other day, when Tamaki Suoh offered to play me something on the piano, I had been obligated to agree. He was supposed to play gorgeous music that no one could wholly describe through words.

And sometimes Mai played the guitar when he could get his hands on one, and watching him play was like watching my mother sew. Fluid, smooth, impressive. Lovely, even.

Occasionally, I questioned the way Mai acted. He had so much potential to be great, and though he denied it, I think he enjoyed being in the Host Club because he could show a little of that greatness.

Oh well. It wasn't my place to question anyone's personality. Besides, Mai was like the brother I wanted but never got. It was hard being "perfect," like my parents wanted, and Mai took a lot of that pressure off of me with his everyday shenanigans.

"You can open the door now, dear," Kanekawa said kindly.

I smiled and opened up the door to the shop, going back inside to where Kanekawa had sat behind the desk.

"How is your family, Kia?"

"Busy," I sighed. "Father is always _working_, and whenever he does find time to sit down, it's always to lecture me about the world and the skills I must have when I grow older."

"Kia, dear, why don't you just take control of your own life?"

"I'm an only child. My father will one day pass the family business off to me, and I will have to run it when he is gone. Then I will have to pressure my own child into taking it and passing it on. It is a tradition in all families of monopolists."

"Well, Kia, what do _you_ want to do?"

"I want to be a musician," I said firmly. "A composer. Play for a church, or a choir, or maybe travel to America or the Arabian Peninsula and play in a musical."

"Kia, can you currently change your future?"

"No," I sniffed. "I don't think I can."

Kanekawa glanced around and picked up a brown wooden guitar, handing it to me. "Well, then, play today. While you can!"

I took the guitar from her and set the strap around my shoulders, resting the neck of the instrument in my palm. "Thank you, Mrs. Kanekawa. I will."

Really, this was one thing I struggled with. I'd argued with myself over it before, and the result had always gone the same.

Currently, there was nothing I could do to change my fate. I was going to finish school at Ouran and then travel to England to study at a prestigious college, and I would come back home afterwards and take over the family business.

For now, while I still could, all that I was able to do was mess around and figure out my niche here until high school was over, and make it memorable enough that I would wish to do it all again.

Such was the effect of Mai Tsuki Takahashi and the way he lived his life: free, unprecedented, and always unexpected.

It was more the fact that, because I was naturally shy, I felt more open when I was around Mai. I could do anything when he was there.

As people began to gradually drift into the shop, I strummed some chords. Played until my fingertips were red and rough and had marks in them shaped like the strings.

_I'd be living the dream_

_If my life switched_

_With the football team_

_I'd be praised by my friends_

_If I was driving a Mercedes Benz_

_What do I know?_

_What do I know oh oh_

_I wanna be_

_A rock star_

_A superhero_

_Living the dream_

_Doing the things that_

_I always wanted_

_I wanna see_

_My face on the T.V._

_With my picture,_

_On the cover_

_For my friends to see_

_A different side of me_

_I'm barely five foot eight_

_No muscle man but I can roller skate_

_Not the biggest sports fan_

_But a friend drives a mean mini van_

_What do I know?_

_What do I know oh oh_

_I wanna be_

_A rock star_

_A superhero_

_Living the dream_

_Doing the things that_

_I always wanted_

_I wanna see_

_My face on the T.V._

_With my picture,_

_On the cover_

_For my friends to see_

_A different side of me_

_I know everything_

_Is gonna change for me_

_If I can make it then you'll see_

_That there's a different side of me_

_I won't be waiting_

_For my life to pass ahead of me_

_So I know you'll see_

_A different side of me_

_I wanna be_

_A rock star_

_A superhero_

_Living the dream_

_Doing the things that_

_I always wanted_

_I wanna be_

_A rock star_

_A superhero_

_Living the dream_

_Doing the things that_

_I always wanted_

_I wanna be_

_A rock star_

_A superhero_

_Living the dream_

_Doing the things that_

_I always wanted_

_I wanna see_

_My face on the T.V._

_With my picture,_

_On the cover_

_But you'll never have to wonder_

_Cause I'm not like all the others_

_But my friends will see_

_A different side of me_

_A different side of me_

_A different side of me_

_A different side of me_

_A different side of me_

Maybe someday. But definitely not today.

* * *

Once I'd reached home again, my father rushed me upstairs into my room and demanded that I change my dress into something "worthy of my appearance."

I'd hoped he didn't notice the scabs on my fingers from playing the guitar so much...

I changed into a strapless gown studded at the bodice, tinted a forest green that was supposed to "replicate the color of my eyes."

I also wore gloves so that no one would notice the scars on my fingertips. That would be a blatant blemish on my prefect record of being the ideal party guest.

I suppose, to some extent, I did care about what my parents passed on to me. But it was probably because that was the way I was raised.

I sighed and stalked out to the terrace, leaning on the edge of the wall separating me from open air.

Did other students at Ouran think this way? Did they not want to have their family's business?

There were people like Mai and Haruhi (inadvertently called commoners, which I despised) who worked so hard for simply the food on their table and would trade for my life in a heartbeat.

Maybe I should work on being less ungrateful before I question my parents' values. Then I can get around to changing my views.

I sighed again, a little louder, and stared down at the ground below. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes, taking in fresh air that I hoped would clear my head.

When I opened my eyes again, I squeaked and clapped a hand over my lips.

Well, less of a squeak. It should've been a scream, but I always speak so quietly.

"M-Mai! What are you doing here?!"

* * *

**Today after school, I sat outside in the cold playing angsty guitar while I waited for my brother to come get me. I feel a lot better now, and hopefully that will continueuntil the end of the week...**

**Sorry about the cliffhanger. Actually, no I'm not XD**

**A Different Side of Me is by Allstar Weekend. :3**

**More is coming!**

**See ya ;D**

**-Eibon**


	5. Something Thoughtful

**Meh... My Internet keeps crashing. Before it screws with me anymore, here is chapter 4!**

**(That was the worst rhyme ever... =.=)**

* * *

Chapter 4:

"M-Mai!" I exclaimed, pulling him up off of the terrace edge, where he seemed to have been hanging for a while. "W-What are you doing here?"

The redheaded boy tumbled onto the concrete floor of the outcropping, then sprang up casually as if nothing was wrong. "Oh, you know... My mom is back at my house and I don't feel like getting hit tonight... Figured that I'd sleep in the park again, and I just so happened to be walking this way so I came to say hi!"

"Mai!" I squeaked. "I'm not letting you sleep in the park!"

"Why not? I do it all the time."

I huffed to myself and took his wrist, dragging him into my room.

"You can sleep here tonight," I suggested. There was always the problem of my father, but I'd figure something out.

"I thought your dad hated me?"

I bit my lip. "Um... He does..."

Mai shrugged. "That's cool. I'll sleep in the closet."

"Um... Ok, then. As long as you're not outside. That kind of worries me."

"You worry too much, Kia! Nice dress, by the way."

I blushed and tugged the bodice of my dress up, not looking his way.

"Aisare! Aisare, are you up here?"

I flinched at the sound of my mother's voice and shoved Mai into the closet, mumbling "Go, go, go, go, go!"

I almost slammed the door behind him and then nearly hurdled my bed to reach my bookcase.

I was skimming through a decrepit copy of Hamlet when my mother opened the door.

"Aisare? Your father has requested that you play the piano downstairs for our guests."

"Oh, of course," I replied breathlessly. I tucked a strand of raven hair behind my ear and lifted the skirt of my dress an inch off of the ground as not to trip over it.

As I descended down the stairs beside my mother, I kept my eyes on my father, trying not to draw any attention to the hundreds of eyes that stared at me.

I kept my eyes up, though, imagining that all of them had turned away from me. This had become easier as time had progressed, and I could not stand in front of audiences otherwise.

I sat down at the black piano and began to play Liszt's No. 5 Feux Follets. One of the hardest pieces I'd ever learned, but no doubt impressive.

About a quarter of the way through the first couplet, people began to murmur to each other again, the piano music contributing to the sophisticated ambiance.

The heightening mood of the party guests kept growing, and I sighed.

I may be here a while.

* * *

Sunlight was streaming through my window, and I remembered that I had forgotten to close the curtains the previous night.

I rubbed my eyes exasperatedly, sitting up. I'd fallen asleep late last night, and my fingers were stiff from playing the piano so frequently. I'd reopened a couple of my scabs from my guitar playing that day, too.

I hopped out of bed and cracked my bedroom door open, glancing down into the foyer. The servants were still cleaning from the event the previous night, which must've gone on longer after I'd fallen asleep. My parents were most likely sleeping right now.

I ran a hand through my tangled black hair and sighed, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

I yawned. "Mai?"

No answer.

"Mai? It's morning. You can come out of the closet now."

"Is that supposed to be a gay joke?" came the irritated reply from beyond the door. Mai swung it open, ran a hand through his tousled red hair, and stretched like a cat. "I'll have you know that everyone in the Host Club thinks I'm gay, and it's _not_ funny!"

"S-Sorry!" I squeaked. "It wasn't, really..."

Mai shrugged and continued to ruffle his bangs, in an awful attempt to fix them.

Today was Sunday. My family and I may have already missed church...

"Do you need a change of clothes, Mai?" I asked sheepishly.

He glanced down at his crumpled black tee shirt and jeans and shrugged. "Meh. We can stop by my house and grab something."

"What if your mother is home?"

"I'll uh, sneak in the window or something."

"Ok," I agreed. "Um... I'm going to go in the closet and change."

Mai nodded lazily and I went into the closet, shutting it behind me.

I picked out a lavender sundress and white sandals, and exited the closet towards the bathroom down the hall.

Surprisingly, I found Mai already there. He was running a comb through his hair, trying to tame the untidy red locks.

He tore through the red waves in vain, and the comb suddenly stuck in his hair. "Dammit!" he cursed, ripping the comb out and tossing it at the counter. "Screw this!"

I sighed a little. I picked up the comb, grabbed Mai's wrist and sat him on the edge of the bathtub.

"What are you doing?" he asked gruffly as I began to run the comb gently through his hair.

"Hold still for a bit, Mai. I'm going to brush your hair."

"Oh," he mumbled. "Okay."

Mai's red hair was soft and slightly wavy, and he actually sat and waited patiently while I untangled it.

"Kia," Mai mumbled, "I like your dress..."

"Oh," I said. "Thank you."

It took me all of five minutes to finish brushing out Mai's hair, to which he jumped up and looked at it in the mirror.

"Thanks, Kia," he exclaimed, breaking into a smile.

"No problem," I replied, returning his smile as I brushed out my own hair.

"So, do you want to hang out today?"

"Why not?" I smiled. "I think my family will spend the day just relaxing. I'll be free to do what I want."

"Cool. We'll do something fun, then."

"Okay. Whatever you want."

Mai's grin turned into something devious. "All right, then. We're climbing down the terrace!"

"W-What?!"

"Come on, it's easy!" Mai urged.

"C-Can't I just go out the front door?!"

"You said we would do what I wanted..."

"...fine."

Mai dragged me out of the bathroom and back into my room, where he closed the door and beckoned me out onto the balcony.

"It's easy! Promise." Mai hurdled over the wrought iron gate that blocked the terrace from open air and began to climb down, easily landing on the grass below.

"Come on, Kia!" Mai called. "If you fall, I'll just catch you!"

Nervously, I crawled over the iron gate and scaled down the wall, one step at a time.

"Keep going, you're almost there!"

But my foot slipped, out into open air.

"Maaaaaaaiii!" I screamed, and tumbled down onto the grass.

When I sat up, Mai blinked and stared at me from where I'd flattened him during my fall. "Well... Told you I'd catch you!"

"I'm so sorry, Mai!" I exclaimed, touching my flaming cheeks.

But he just laughed and waved me off. "Naah, it's ok."

I blushed slightly less and Mai helped me up; then the two of us began to take the walk to his house.

* * *

It was a while before we reached the poorer area of the city. We'd passed by the music shop a while ago, and Mai and I had mostly passed the time chatting about the other Hosts.

I learned that Mai didn't really like any of the Hosts, except for Haruhi because she wasn't a nuance, and Mori-senpai because he rarely spoke.

I noticed that Mai showed an exceptional dislike for the twins.

"They never mind their own business, and they walk around like they own everything, which sucks!" Mai complained. "I really hate them both."

"I haven't known them for too long," I said suddenly. "We started out as friends about halfway through my third year of junior high."

"Really?" Mai seemed intrigued. "Were they the same back then, too?"

"Somewhat," I admitted. "They always stuck to each other, and nobody ever talked to them much. But once in a while, a girl would write a love letter to them and they'd do something really smean about it."

"What did they do?"

"They'd reply to the note, asking to meet, use their advantage as twins to

trick the poor girl into thinking that Hikaru was Kaoru and Kaoru was Hikaru... Then they totally shot her down and made her cry."

"And they're Hosts?" Mai grumbled. "I always knew they were jackasses."

"Yeah. It happened to one of my old friends and I first met them when I asked them to apologize to her."

Mai threw back his head and laughed loudly. "The twins? APOLOGIZE?!"

"Well, they did. And that's how we became friends, I guess."

"How is that how you became friends?" Mai gave me a quizzical look that had carefully been balanced on the line of incredulous.

"Well, when I asked them to apologize, Hikaru made me play the _Which One is Hikaru Game_, and if I won, then they'd apologize."

"What? That stupid game?"

"Yep. I won, so they apologized and followed me around a little while after. When I asked them why, they asked me how I'd possibly guessed correctly when they looked exactly the same," I explained easily. "And I told them that, even though I didn't know them well enough or on a personal level at all, they were both distinct personalities that were too impressionable to forget. Different voices, different quirks, a lot of things to tell them apart by."

"And that just made them your buddies?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that. It took some time to get used to, especially as we're so different in the first place. But my mother and their mother got along very well, so we spent a lot of time together."

"Hm. I didn't think your parents would like Hikaru and Kaoru's attitudes, what with their lifestyle and everything." it was a minute before Mai sheepishly twirled a strand of his red hair and coughed, "No offense."

"Don't worry," I sighed. "I suppose they are a little old-fashioned, aren't they?"

Mai didn't answer, probably for fear of saying something wrong or offensive.

I wonder how we'd gotten to talking about the twins.

Oh well. I suppose I'll figure it out later.

I hadn't notice we'd taken the road straight into the heart of the poor apartments, places where even Haruhi and her low-income family would not dwell.

"My apartment's up here," Mai grumbled.

I followed him up the pathway to the small building, where the little apartments were nestled.

Mai took a ring of keys from his jean pocket and stuck one in the lock of the westernmost door and turned it, peeking in just slightly before sighing.

"Looks like she's gone," he said, relieved. "But we'd better hurry up, just in case."

I was about to go inside after him, when he suddenly said, "Wait! Can you stand guard?"

"Stand guard? Why?"

"In case my mom comes back!" Mai exclaimed. "Pleeaaase?"

"But what do I do if she comes?"

"I don't know, just, uh, distract her or something! Knock three times to signal me and when she asks why you're banging on her door, I'll come out and save you!" then he shut the front door behind him and clicked the lock.

Either Mai was really worried about his mother coming, or he really didn't want me to come into his house.

Probably the latter. But it was Mai's house, and I didn't have the right to be here without his permission, anyway.

I spent the time I had outside just examining the area.

It wasn't a slum like you'd see in a television show about Los Angeles; actually, the area was the outmost region of the city where some buildings had crumbled from being left unattended, and this apartment building was one of the only things left standing.

Despite the climbing vines and plants that had grown far too tall, it was a nice apartment complex that wasn't too far from the local park.

It was within walking distance of the town and Ouran Academy, although it might take a bit to get there.

A pair of shady looking boys passed by the front of the complex, and I made sure not to look at them, just in case eye contact agitated any of the people in this area.

I hoped they couldn't see me, at least, since we had climbed a flight of stairs to get up here. It was probably easy to look up and spot a debonair's daughter all by her lonesome.

I then decided it was in my best interests to sit down by the door, because I might be more safe that way.

Mai opened the door again, theatrically peeking out, and then looking at me strangely where I sat. "Why are you sitting down?"

"I didn't want to take the chance of getting noticed," I mumbled.

"Oh."

He'd changed into black jeans and a red tee shirt; there were some times when I did not acknowledge Mai's reputation of being handsome and dangerous. This was not one of those times.

"So, what else are we doing today?" I asked, not drawing attention to the fact that Mai was looking (in reference to most of the Host Club) kind of dashing today.

"Uhh... I dunno. What do you want to do?"

That was a fair question. What did I want to do?

"Hey... Mai? Can I take you somewhere?"

"Sure; where?"

"C'mon."

* * *

"Mrs. Kanekawa!" I called, the bell ringing as I swung open the door to Shoujo's Music (Kanekawa had once told me that her daughter had named the shop after her favorite genre of manga).

Kanekawa glanced up from where she sat at the register, and her eyes lit up. "Kia, dear! What can I do for you?"

"This is my friend, Mai," I began.

"Oh, isn't he handsome!" Kanekawa leaned down to me and said (not so subtly), "Is he your boyfriend?"

"O-Oh, n-no," I stuttered, "of course not! He's just a very good friend of mine!"

I turned to see if Mai was as embarrassed as I was, but I don't think he was paying attention. He was lost in the wall of vintage guitars along the back of the shop.

Kanekawa noticed this and said, "You can try a few out if you'd like!"

Mai picked a Fender from the bottom line of instruments, a 1967 Tele electric that was probably made of maple wood.

He played a couple chords, then began playing a song that I'd heard him humming sometimes, usually after he finished with the Host Club.

I stood next to him and sang quietly:

"I just wanna run, hide it away; run because they're chasing me down. I just wanna run, throw it away;

run before they're finding me out. I just wanna run..."

Mai glanced up at me and then played the song a little faster, smoothly like he'd known it all his life.

"I just wanna run, I'm out here all alone; I try to call your house, can't reach you on the phone. I'll gather up the nerve; I'm packing up my bag.

It's more than you deserve,

don't treat me like a drag.

"I'm feelin' like I keep on talking

I'm repeating myself, my words lost all meaning. I keep talking; I repeat myself!

"I just wanna run, hide it away; run because they're chasing me down.

I just wanna run, throw it away;

run before they're finding me out. I just wanna run; I just wanna run.

"Like a game of chess; I predict your move. I think I know you better, better than you do. I'm sick of feeling cheap, cheated and abused. Sick of losing sleep; thinking about you.

"I'm feelin' like I keep on talking, I'm repeating myself. My words lost all meaning, I keep talking; I repeat myself.

"I just wanna run, hide it away; run because they're chasing me down!

I just wanna run, throw it away; run before they're finding me out! I just wanna run! I just wanna run; throw it away!"

Mai and I were both laughing through the solo, and a group of people had accumulated outside the shop to listen.

"I just wanna run, hide it away; run because they're chasing me down

I just wanna run, throw it away; run before they're finding me out, out.

"I just wanna run, hide it away; run because they're chasing me down!

I just wanna run, throw it away; run before they're finding me out!

"I just wanna run! I just wanna run; I just wanna run!"

I couldn't even hear the people who'd stopped to listen clapping for us. I was too busy laughing with Mai, this accidental moment just becoming another memory between friends.

"Do you like that guitar, Mai?" I asked between giggles.

"Of course I like it!" he said, like it was obvious. "It plays so smooth!"

"How much?" I asked Kanekawa.

"Wait, wait, what?"

"You told me," I pointed out, "that you someday wanted a new guitar. Can't I please do something nice for you, Mai? Please?"

"But-"

"Pleeeeaaase?"

Mai's face turned red. "Fine, but the next time we jump off of something, you're not allowed to complain."

Well, at least he was smart enough to know that I wasn't going to give him the option of paying me back.

I paid Kanekawa for the guitar, and Mai and I spent the rest of the day hanging around the marketplace and playing for any people who wanted to hear.

Mai walked me home that evening, when we were both in a high mood. It had been a considerably good day.

"We should do that again sometime," I suggested.

"Yeah," he agreed.

I waved goodbye to Mai once we got close to my house, and used my own key to enter the foyer.

It seemed like the house had been clean and silent for a while; for a moment, I thought I was going to get away with being unspoken for all day.

"AISARE!"

A loud voice boomed from the top of the stairs. I looked up, to where both of my parents were looking thoroughly... Well, as Mai would've put it, "pissed off."

But I was far too happy to let them ruin my mood.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER BEFORE MY INTERNET RUNS OUT! READ OR I WILL BREAK INTO YOUR HOUSE AND TEAR YOUR WIFE IN HALF!**

** For more of the lovely Mai, go read Dark Kisshu's story, Kyoya's Apprentice! **

** Thanks for reading! See ya ;D**

**-Eibon**


	6. Something Retained

Chapter 5: Something Retained

**Hello everyone~! Sorry I haven't posted in a bit, but with all the shit that's going on, I'm totally not surprised XD this should make up for it, though(hopefully)! **

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my lovely waifu, DarkKisshu, (who also happens to be the legal owner of Mai) and wish her luck on her karate tournament this weekend! :D **

**Anyways, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

* * *

I opened the door of Music Room #3, rolling my shoulders back.

After quite a few visits to the Host Club, it was getting easier to walk in.

The rosy smell, I'd learned, came predominantly from Tamaki's area of the Host Club, which was always packed beyond capacity.

Kyoya's guests normally followed him around with intent looks on their faces, waiting for him to say something as he checked on the other hosts.

Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai were often somewhere with food, as Honey-senpai was extremely fond of cake, and Mori-senpai sometimes ate the strawberries off of the top.

Hikaru and Kaoru's trade disturbed me immensely, as I had never known what they did in the Host Club. Now I was given a front row seat to their madness, and the taboo incest act that their guests found "adorable." after seeing them in action, the twins' attempts to make me request them became ever more futile.

Haruhi dwelled in the back corner of the Host Club, usually entertaining her guests where the sun was peeking through the curtains. I still didn't understand why it was so easy to mistake her as a boy; I'd known she was a girl from the first day we met. Her eyes were too large, too feminine.

Mai usually took a pair of sofas in the off-center area of the Host Club, and that's where I was headed now.

"Good afternoon!" I called to the two young women already sitting across from Mai's usual spot.

"Hi, Kia!" Lacey called smiling at me. Whenever she smiled, her teal eyes glittered, showing that she was definitely genuine.

Scarlett sat up a bit and gave me a small wave. Scarlett was a bit of a tomboy (to the point where she liked to be called "Lett" rather than "Scarlett"), but had long reddish brown hair that I thought was very feminine and pretty. She was also a commoner like Mai and Haruhi; she had gotten into Ouran by scholarship.

I sat down beside Lacey. "How are you two?"

"I'm doing good!"

"Can't complain..."

"It looks like Mai is late today," I mused. "Oh, well. He is free to do what he likes."

Then the twins skittered over across to us. "Hellooooo, Kia-chan!"

"Hey Hikaru, Kaoru," I replied politely.

"How come you never request us?" Kaoru complained.

"You finally come to the Host Club, and you don't even request us!" Hikaru added.

"Mai is my friend," I replied. "I think he deserves more attention than... Whatever the two of you do over there..."

"Oooohhh, Kia-chan, that's so _meeeeeaaaan_," the twins replied in unison. "Just because you don't like our brotherly love doesn't mean-"

"Oh, is that what you call it? "Brotherly love?" I don't understand," I interrupted, "why something so unethical could be accepted as "brotherly love" even if it is only an act."

"Jeez," Kaoru sniffed. "Did someone spit in your tea this morning, Kia-chan?"

"No, Kaoru," I replied, glaring at a teacup on the table.

Mai hurried into the room, rushedly fixing his hair.

"Hello, Mai," I said pleasantly.

"Hey Mai," Scarlett said.

"Hi Mai!" Lacey said.

"Sorry I'm late, I was in the principal's office."

"Again?" I sighed.

"Hey, I didn't start it this time!"

Mai sat down across from us, picking up a cup of tea and dropping a stick of Pocky in it.

He didn't have to play the game of the Hosts with the three of us; **(A/N: Payback, Mai~ You just lost the game ;D) **we knew Mai well enough to know that the happiness he showed other guests was totally forced.

"Tsk, Mai-kun, why do you keep getting into so much trouble?" Hikaru sighed teasingly.

"Yeah, it's not becoming of a Host!"

"Oh, shut up, you two," Mai grumbled.

"Kia-chan, you should request us tomorrow!"

"Yeah, why do you request Mai when he's gay? There's nothing to gain from it."

I was about to counter with a clever remark, but Mai stuck a fork into the conversation before I could protest.

"Bitch, I am straighter than the pole your mom dances on!"

Lacey, Scarlett, and I simultaneously burst out in laughter, while Hikaru and Kaoru stared at Mai in horror.

I didn't think I'd ever seen the twins so flustered or speechless.

"So, what happened this time, Mai?" Scarlett asked nonchalantly, tucking a strand of mahogany hair behind one ear and drawing our attention from the twins away.

"Oh, I ran into someone in the hallway and they tried to hit me in the face for it."

"Mai, is that really what happened?"

"Yes! What, you don't believe me?"

"Marginally."

Kyoya sauntered past us, glancing at the twins and scribbling something in his black book. "Hikaru, Kaoru, you have guests waiting for you."

The twins, still staring at Mai, trudged away and attempted to compose themselves before attending to their guests.

I eyed Kyoya as he stalked away. "What do you think Kyoya writes in that book of his?"

"Personally," Mai answered, stirring his tea a little, "I think that he just doodles in it."

"He probably has, like, a whole shelf of them in his house!" Lacey interjected. "Like, he has this button that he presses and a whole bookshelf just comes out of his wall, like _ZHOOM_!" Lacey made a movement with her hands, like something sliding upwards.

"He probably has one on every member of the Host Club," Scarlett added.

"I'd think there would be at least eight on Renge alone," I noted, remembering the high-strung nature of the Host Club's "manager." "Two of those being financial."

"Yeah, and all kinds of other stuff, too!"

"Ha ha, like cookie recipes and complicated calculus problems and stocks and prices on paint?"

"He probably switches books every day," I said. "Just so that people get thrown off by what he's doing."

Mai leaned over the table and mumbled, "Bet you he's playing hangman _right now_."

"Or creepily writing down everything the other Hosts are doing."

"He thinks he knows everything..."

"Yeah; acting like a know-it-all is my job!"

"We should take it sometime," Scarlett said, "just to sneak a peek."

"Yes," I retorted, "because he won't notice at all."

"Just for a few seconds!" Mai exclaimed. "Just to look."

"Seems pretty legit to me!" Lacey said with a smile.

The four of us laughed in close quarters, and it was almost obvious that we were being covert. Although I seemed to notice Kyoya out of the corner of my eye, scribbling more furiously in that accursed little book of his.

"Okay," Mai said, "so, when are we stealing it?"

"W-wait," Lacey said quickly. "We weren't serious!"

"Like hell you weren't, we're taking his book!" Mai set down his cup of tea and threw a nonchalant glance at Kyoya, who was not far from the front door of the Host Club.

"B-But I don't wanna!" Lacey complained. "He might hit me with his ruler!"

"He won't, trust me," Mai mumbled. Then he stood up.

He skipped across the room like nothing was wrong, then suddenly lashed out at Kyoya and snatched his ballpoint pen right out from between his thin fingers.

"Catch me if you can, senpai!" then Mai ran out the door.

"MAI!" Kyoya exclaimed, slamming down the small black book on a nearby coffee table. The Shadow King sprinted out the door in pursuit of his hotheaded apprentice, leaving the ominous black book completely vulnerable.

"W-What do we do?" Lacey stuttered.

I blinked, stood, and crossed to the table, picking up the book and opening it.

"K-Kia!"

Lacey scrambled around to me. "We shouldn't be looking in it!"

"Why not? Mai said to. I don't think he should get in trouble for nothing."

I flipped through the pages at a comfortable speed; Mai had been somewhat accurate in his perception of what Kyoya put in his book.

Sketches of the Host Club members with their guests, one detailed drawing of a teacup, and a page or two filled up with a bit of advanced Calculus.

Lacey peeked over my shoulder. "Ooh! Ooh! Can I see?"

"Lacey, I thought you didn't want to intrude on Kyoya's-"

"Oh, who cares, lemme see!"

Lacey snatched the book out of my fingers and flipped through it eagerly, examining every page she went through.

"What's in there?" Scarlett asked me nonchalantly, and then Lacey made a small squeak and slammed the book shut, roses of red heat blossoming in her cheeks.

"What is it, Lacey?"

Lacey shoved the book back at me, her small hands covering her blushing cheeks.

"Lacey!" Scarlett demanded. "Spit it out!"

I flipped through the pages quickly, trying to see if anything was wrong with the seemingly harmless pages of the black book.

"M-My eyes!" Lacey stuttered. "_M-My poor virgin eyes_!"

Nothing was out of place, at least until I flipped to one of the last pages I the book.

"Oh, my," I mumbled.

"Wow," Scarlett miffed. "I didn't know Kyoya was into that kind of... _Stuff_."

Doodled across the page was a very detailed, somewhat explicit drawing of Kyoya and Mai, and scrawled in messy handwriting were the words, "Mai Tsuki Ootori."

"That's a little disturbing," I coughed, closing the book. "But almost adorable. Like a teenage girl drawing her with her crush's last name."

"I'm gonna go sit down now," Scarlett sighed. "Not sure when they're coming back."

"Good idea," I answered, setting the book back down on the table.

Lacey followed us back to the sofa, where the doors to the room flew open again just as we sat down.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, picked up his book, clicked his pen on, and walked away while scribbling in that deceiving book of his.

Mai stumbled in after him, sporting a large red mark across his ghostly pale forehead.

He smiled widely when he reached us again, then rubbed his head sheepishly. "He caught me."

"We figured," Scarlett replied with a wavering smile.

"So, did you guys get a peek?" Mai inched forward where he sat, blue eyes wide and shining with curiosity.

"There was-"

"You're right, he doodles," I cut in before Lacey could shout anything totally unnecessary. "He doodles the Hosts and their guests, and draws up extremely long Calculus equations for who-knows-what."

Scarlett and Lacey gave me a sidelong glance, as if to ask if there was something wrong with my mind; why was I not disclosing said disturbing information with Mai?

_Because he doesn't need to know, that's why._

"Ha! I knew it!"

"No hangman, though," I continued. "Just boring, Kyoya stuff."

"Hm," Mai mused. "I thought he'd have some horrible, dark secret that he'd keep in there. I guess not."

"Guess not," I replied. "Mai, you should probably get some ice on that."

"I'm fine, it's-"

"Please? Just get some ice."

Mai gave a long and arduous sigh, sending his bangs flying. Then he jumped up and stalked off to look for a compress.

"Kia, why didn't you tell him?" Scarlett asked, looking interested in what I had to say other than confused.

"He doesn't need to know," I replied. "Knowing something like that would only mess with his head, and he wouldn't ever be the same around Kyoya or even the rest of the Host Club. In addition to that, I really don't want to mess up his life."

"Oh, Mai," Lacey giggled, her face still carrying traces of her blush, "such an unknowing uke~!"

"Hey, Kia!" Mai shouted from across the Host Club. "I can't find the ice!"

I sighed and rose from the sofa, beginning to cross to where Mai was.

"O-M-G! Kia?!"

I stopped to turn around, where I was barreled into by a girl who was bigger than me by a lot (it was to be expected, since I was short and also built small).

At first, I didn't recognize her. She was tall and blonde and looked like a supermodel, with a perfect skinny body and legs that were still visible even when she wore the school's plain uniform. She had that goddess complex that made me feel sort of inferior.

But when she looked up at me and found my gaze with clear gray eyes, I finally saw it.

"H-Hana?"

"Kia, I haven't seen you in forever! Since graduation!"

"Hana, it's good to see you too, but I'm a little busy-"

"I didn't even know you came to the Host Club! Who's your Host? Mine's Tamaki, he's suuuuuch a charmer."

"U-Um, Mai is my Host, and-"

"Really? Mai? I would've thought you'd choose Mori-senpai, since he's kind of quiet, or maybe the twins since you guys used to hang around so much."

"Hana, it's great to see you, but honestly, I'm a little busy right now. Can we catch up later?"

"Oh, of course! How about we get together after school? We'll meet for tea!"

"Okay," I said mindlessly, really only wanting to get out of this conversation.

"See you later!"

I gave a sheepish smile and finished my walk towards Mai, who was staring at Hana as she skipped back towards Tamaki and his horde of guests.

I opened my mouth to apologize for the interruption, when he stopped me.

"Who was that? Is she bothering you? Do I need to find out where she lives?"

"Mai, Mai, relax," I laughed. "She was an old friend from middle school. That's Airashi Hana, the one I told you started my friendship with Hikaru and Kaoru."

"Oh."

"Yes. She wants me to have tea with her this afternoon." But I'm only going to be polite.

"Sounds like fun..."

"I expect it to be loads..."

"You don't seem very excited," Mai noted.

"Well, I'm already a social wallflower around the typical throng of girls that attend this school. The last thing I would like is to be the little outcast that stands next to the pretty girl to make her feel better about herself."

"Well, don't whisper," Mai grumbled. I realized he'd been referring to the fact that I had raised my voice, something I had almost never done. "For your information, you're so much prettier than her."

Maybe if Mai wasn't my best friend, I would've blurted out that he was the nicest, most amazing friend anyone could ever have. That he was ten times as handsome as Tamaki, ten times as kind as Haruhi, ten times as loyal as Mori, ten times as smart as Kyoya, ten times as strong as Honey, and ten billion times as clever as the twins.

Maybe I'd say that if I was a naïve girl that fawned over my host, or if Kyoya wouldn't take off my head, or if I wouldn't creep Mai out for life.

But all I said was, "Thank you."

* * *

"More tea, Miss Kuchikia?"

"No thank you, I'm satisfied for now," I replied, and my mother's favorite attendant, Julia, gave a short and polite bow before rushing away.

"How has your morning been?" I asked politely.

Hana brushed her blonde hair away from her eyes and smiled a perfect white grin at me, which made me cringe. "It was good! It's a pretty day today!"

"Yes, it is."

Today was the fourth day I had spent with Hana, after my parents had encouraged me to be around her more.

I felt bad, because I hadn't seen Mai, Scarlett, or Lacey in four days. Hana had dragged me away from the library and Mai and my lunch spot on the roof of the school to meet all of her high-profile friends and "become familiar with the in-crowd," as she'd put it.

I despised every moment of the fake smiles (mine and theirs) and all of the pointless "inside" jokes that Hana shared with her makeup-wearing, designer-clothing buying friends.

I wanted my friends... My family was upper-class and considered "rich," but that didn't mean I squandered it over pointless things like my classmates seemed to. "Normal people" were the best in my opinion, and we rich people seemed to easily forget that the lower classes were the reasons we had our fortunes in the first place.

And it wasn't that I disliked Hana, it was simply that she'd changed from the girl I'd known in middle school. She used to be skinny and awkward and self-conscious, all the things that I could relate to and feel comfortable around. Now she'd flowered into some alien creature from a planet of beautiful and vain things that I'd only heard of in fantasies and my wildest dreams.

"What are we doing today?" Hana asked pleasantly.

"It's Saturday," I replied. "What would you like to do?"

"Ooh, ooh, we could go swimming!"

"Swimming?" I asked sheepishly.

"Yep! I just got a new swimsuit that I've been dying to break in!"

_If that's what you'd like.._ "Sounds fun."

"Great! We can take a car to my house, I have a pool in the yard."

"I'll just have to run up and grab my swimsuit," I replied, rising from my chair.

"Okay!"

I ascended the stairs and sighed as I made it into my room, taking a long look at the window where the balcony was shimmering with heat.

I stopped when I noticed that the sliding door had been opened. Hadn't I shut it...?

I shuffled across the room to where I peered out onto the terrace, half hoping that Mai would be hanging from the gate.

But there was no one there... Was there someone in my house...?

I held my breath and let it out as I went back towards the closet, assuming I was only being paranoid.

I ran a hand through my dark hair as I slid the closet door open, eliciting a very loud rustling noise from the left rack of clothing.

I gave a sharp, sudden exhale, almost like a gasp with no sound. Not exactly the reaction I'd been expecting, but I'd proven myself unpredictable time and time again.

Shyly, I peeked around the door at the rack and moved the skirt of a dress to the side, trying to see if something was hiding among my clothing.

"M-Mai! What are you doing in my closet?!"

The redhead glanced around my hand and smiled timidly, like he was in trouble. "H-Hey, Kia. What's up?"

"Mai, what are you doing here?"

"I haven't seen you in foreveeeer," Mai complained, sticking out his lip. "Why did you goooo?"

"It's not like I wanted to," I mumbled. "My parents want me to spend more time with Hana. She's over right now, and she wants to go swimming so I came up to get my swimsuit..."

"I thought you said you didn't want to go anywhere with her!"

"But I have to make my parents happy, I'm sorry Mai..."

"It's ok," he sighed. "I understand..." he handed me a hanger with a green and white two piece swimsuit and continued to pout to himself, ignoring the skirt of a dress that was half covering his face.

"Mai," I began, but I was interrupted by the door opening.

"Kia, what's holding you up?" Hana asked, her marble gray eyes wide with curiosity.

"Oh, it's nothing," I answered, trying to nonchalantly close the door of the closet.

"But I heard you talking!" Hana protested. "Who are you chatting with?"

"Nobody," I replied nervously. Would Hana tell my parents if she discovered Mai? What if she got the wrong idea?

"Kiaaaa, I can tell when you're lyiiiiiiing!"

I sighed, and mentally prepared an explanation that wouldn't be offensive...

Hana pushed past me and tore open the closet door; Mai had hidden behind my dresses again, and Hana gave me a look as if I was insane.

"Okay, what gives?"

I felt like I shrank. "Umm..."

"Are you going crazy or something?"

"No, I'm perfectly sane," I replied sheepishly.

"Then what's going on?"

"My friend is hiding in my closet...?"

Hana stared at me for a long moment, as if she didn't hear what I'd said.

I bit my lip. "Mai, you can come out of the closet."

"Really? More gay jokes? I thought we went over this!" Mai grumbled, peeking around my rack of dresses.

"Ohmigosh!" Hana exclaimed. "Mai Takahashi! Mai Takahashi is in your closet, Kia!"

"Yes, Hana... I know..."

Hana leaned close to me, a wild grin on her face, and whispered, "Why is he here?"

"I haven't seen Kia in daaaays," Mai complained. "I was bored and I wanted to see if she was doing anything..."

"You can come swimming with us!" Hana suggested eagerly.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I really kind of wanted to hang out with Kia today..."

"I promise I won't keep her too long!" Hana said happily.

Mai opened his mouth to protest, but my door swung open again and my mother entered the room. "Girls? Are the two of you doing all right?"

"Yes, Mother, we were just about to leave," I said as calmly as I could.

My mother smiled warmly and opened the door for us to go; I threw an apologetic smile at Mai as covertly as possible, hoping he knew that I didn't plan on ditching him for long.

"Wow, I knew Mai was one of the toughest and cutest guys at Ouran, I didn't know he was compassionate, too!" Hana hissed while walking beside me.

"Stick to Tamaki, please," I replied, unsatisfied with my situation.

We reached the lawn outside and Hana and I loaded ourselves into a limousine.

"373 Hydrangea, please," Hana told the driver.

I sighed as I sat back into the bench-style seat and gazed out the window.

I caught sight of the rear view mirrors, where there was a small dot of red streaking after us.

"Wait, wait, stop the car!" I shouted, and the limo screeched to a stop.

"Kia, where are you going?!" Hana exclaimed as I wrenched the door open.

"Mai!" I shouted as he approached.

"You're ditching me?" he complained.

"No, I... Well, yes, but not for long! I promise I'll be back before noon and then we can go hang out!"

"Fine," Mai complained. "Now, if you'll excuse me... I'm going to go hide in your closet."

"Yep, you do that, Mai."

I got back in the limo and Mai waved wildly at me; Hana leaned over and began to giggle. "Are you guys going out?"

"What?! No! He's just my best friend, that's all!"

Hana giggled again and leaned back in her seat, playing with her long blonde hair.

_Silly Hana. If I dated Mai, Kyoya Ootori would either kill me or himself_.

But that's okay, I like having Mai as a friend. Sometimes, I just have a feeling that even if I really, really wanted to be more than friends with Mai, it might just turn out to be impossible.

* * *

**Hahahaha; if you've read DarkKisshu's story, "Kyoya's Apprentice," you might get that last line... ;D Otherwise, it'll be a mystery for now~**

**Anyways, I hope this chapter didn't suck too much. I haven't picked up a pen in at least a week XD**

**Well, despite my suckishness, thanks for reading!**

**See ya ;D**

**-Eibon**


	7. Something Tedious

**Hey, faithful readers! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been stressing over this Language Arts project that'a pissing me off because it's taking days away from my schedule and the girl who put herself in charge is wasting a lot of my time.**

**Anyways, enough about my problems. On with the story!**

* * *

Enervated, languid, listless, lethargic. Whatever you want to call it, I was extremely tired.

I'd spent half of my Sunday with Hana and half with Mai.

I used my morning up playing guitar in my room with Mai and the evening with Hana and her family for dinner. Hana had insisted I play piano for her parents and siblings, and I had stayed a lot longer than I wanted to.

I'd worried about being late for school this morning, only to remember that today was the first day of the Festival run by the Host Club, something I was new to due to being a first-year.

So, nonchalantly, I ambled towards the Host Club to see if Mai was anywhere around. Classes had been cancelled today, and I was too tired to go barricade myself in the library, where I was in a terrible danger of falling asleep.

I yawned, too out of it to cover my mouth for the sake of manners, and took the main hallway towards Music Room #3.

I yawned and rubbed my eyes as I cracked open the door to the Host Club. "Mai?"

The Host Club seemed empty, void of all guests, but I could see the blue uniforms of the hosts almost camouflaged behind the uniforms of three female students who obviously didn't go to Ouran.

I recognized the uniform (white blouse and red skirt with tall socks and loafers) as being native to St. Lobelia Girls' Academy. My parents had almost sent me to Lobelia—despite the fact that I'd already been attending the Ouran Middle School—before I persuaded them to let me attend Ouran Academy with Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" I asked absently. "I'm sorry, I was just looking for Mai..."

The three Lobelia students exchanged glances, and the tallest one gave a long and melodramatic sigh. "Despicable! Why, this Host Club grows more despicable each time we come! Here they are again, dragging down another young maiden into their madness!"

"P-Pardon?" I stuttered.

"Tell me maiden, how do you fare?" the tallest of the three, with boy-short brown hair and paled green eyes. "Have these Host Club brats been bothering you?"

"Brats!" Tamaki squawked from where he was lounging. "You can insult us, tell us we're not the dominant gender, and a bunch of other stuff, but nobody calls us brats!"

"Yeah," Hikaru added nonchalantly. "If anything, we're _rich_ brats."

"Is Mai even in here?" I said, yawning and covering my lips with the palm of my hand.

"I am third-year Benio Amakusa," the same Lobelia student with the brown hair said, crossing to me and taking my free hand in her own. "The three of us are elites of St. Lobelia Academy's Zuka Club, the White Lily League. What do they call you, maiden?"

"I'm Aisare Kuchikia," I replied, rubbing the accumulating condensation from the corners of my eyes. "I'm called Kia for short. I apologize, I didn't get much sleep last night."

"And so polite!" a second Lobelia student with wavy light brown hair and dark eyes said, traipsing over to me.

"What eyes!" the third Lobelia girl, with pixie cut chestnut hair and gray eyes, added. "I've never seen such a color. Like an evergreen tree, or a tropical flower!"

"Or an emerald?"

"Yes, yes, an emerald!"

Having the Lobelia students fawn over me was a little bit of a foreign experience. It was slightly uncomfortable, and pretty new to me since I'd never had other girls tell me good things about myself.

"Would you... Um... Not touch me, please?"

I glanced to the side as the door to the music room opened, and I finished my sentence; Mai was late?

His face was plain for a moment. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Another Host Club crony?" the Lobelia with the pixie haircut sighed. "I don't recall this one being present when we were here last."

"Crony?" Mai grumbled. "That wasn't very nice of you."

"Hm," the tallest (I think she said her name was Benio) mused. "The Host Club seems to have lowered their standards. I can't seem to tell your gender, although you seem more masculine than feminine."

"Excuse me?" Mai screeched, his face growing slightly red. "Are you trying to tell me that I couldn't be male or female?"

"Mai, don't be bothered," I assured him. "You're perfect the way you are. We all love you."

"Maiden, you shouldn't bother yourself speaking to such delinquent trash," Benio sniffed. "It's a waste to talk with people of such low standard."

I was about to open my mouth an protest, but Mai suddenly lunged forward and extended an arm, his fist making contact with Benio's thin nose.

Her head snapped backwards and Benio was forced backwards and onto the marble floor of the empty music room.

I caught a glimpse of the shocked faces on the other two Lobelia students, and the widened eyes of the Hosts. It was about seven seconds before Hikaru and Kaoru burst into fits of laughter.

"By the way," Mai retorted, "when a lady asks you not to touch her, you _DON'T TOUCH HER_."

Benio heaved her head up off of the ground, where a fountain of blood had burst out of her right nostril.

The two other Lobelia students helped their friend off of the floor, while Benio covered her nose with her palm in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood. "You have no idea what the definition of 'lady' is!" Benio tossed me a withered glance. "We will be back to save you from this terrible place, maiden! Worry not!"

The Lobelia students strutted out of the Host Club; I probably would've said something if I hadn't been yawning.

"What just happened?" Honey-senpai asked innocently, hugging Usa-chan to his chest.

"I don't know," I said quietly. "I half missed it... This is what I get for being tired..."

"I can't believe those Lobelia jerks," Haruhi commented. "I've had problems with them before, and so far they've left me alone. It doesn't surprise me that they'd just look for another person to prey off of."

Mai cracked his knuckles and sighed. "That felt really fucking good."

At this point, I don't think even Kyoya cared about Mai's vulgar language. He was busy writing in that nasty little book of his.

"I'm sorry she was so mean to you," I told him shyly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I totally got to make up for it."

"Uh, quick question," Hikaru jumped into the conversation. "They said they're coming back. I don't know about you guys, but I really don't want to deal with everything we had to go through with Haruhi to get them off of our backs before."

"Yeah," Kaoru added. "What do we do?"

"I dunno, go into hiding or something?" Mai suggested. "There are some pretty good hiding places in the rose garden outside."

"I've got it!" I jumped when Tamaki suddenly thrust himself into the conversation. "We turned Haruhi into a boy, and Mai into a Host! What if we did the same for Kia-chan?"

"WHAT? FUCK NO!" Mai exclaimed, taking me by the shoulders and shoving me towards the door. "NO WAY IN HELL!"

"Yeah, Boss," Hikaru complained. "The Zuka Club knew that Haruhi was a girl just by looking at her eyes, and she was totally being boyish in almost every way. Kia-chan is like the girliest person we know."

"Yeah, how can we be sure they won't see through it, either?" Kaoru added.

"Well, what else do we have to do?" Kyoya spoke up suddenly, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. I hadn't been aware that he had been listening, especially since I was half-convinced that he absolutely hated me.

"No!" Mai complained. "No, no, no, no!"

"Why do you want to help me anyways?" I asked absently. "What have I ever done for you?"

The twins glanced awkwardly at each other. Honey-senpai played with Usa-chan's left ear. Mori shifted his weight, and Kyoya pushed his glasses up again.

"Because," Tamaki answered, "we are Hosts! It's our job to help out or make happy any young lady who needs it."

"And you make Mai happy," Honey-senpai mumbled. "It wouldn't be fair to make a friend of ours sad."

"And don't ever say you haven't done anything for us," Kaoru retorted. "Because you seriously have."

Oh. That's right. I guess I helped them be more social, I'd forgotten.

"So, we'll turn you into a temporary Host!" Tamaki declared.

I played with my bangs. "Just as long as you don't cut my hair, please..."

"Kyoya, fetch a fresh uniform! Hikaru, Kaoru, look for a suitable hairpiece! Mai, go look for a first-aid kit with those roll-out bandages! Haruhi, make some more commonor's coffee!"

"What can I do, Tama-chan?" Honey-senpai asked cutely.

"Honey-senpai... You go... Um... Eat some more cake!"

"...I never get to do anything fun," Honey-senpai mumbled, ambling off to raid the dessert table.

Mai stomped off to look for a first-aid kit, and Kyoya brushed past me quickly on his way to get a male uniform. Haruhi gave a wide yawn and went off to look for the Hosts' stash of instant coffee.

"C'mon, Kia-chan!" Kaoru and Hikaru urged in unison, pulling me back into a room covered by curtains.

Before long, Kyoya came back in with a uniform and set it next to me. "You can change into this."

He stalked out of the curtained room and dragged the twins with him, leaving me by myself with the male Ouran uniform.

"...Kia?" I heard Mai call sheepishly.

I pulled the curtains open for him.

"For the record, I'm totally against this," Mai huffed, "but these are to wrap your chest with." he handed me two rolls of bandages.

"Oh," I said.

"Mhm."

"Thank you, Mai," I said lightly. "I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you."

"It's okay," he sighed. "I'd rather be upset than have Beni-bitch take you to an all girls' school."

"That's... Sweet...?"

Mai laughed a little and slipped out of the little room, leaving me to try and turn myself into a boy.

I unbuttoned my collar and undid the back of my dress, letting it slip down to uncover my chest. I struggled to wrap the bandages in a thick line around me, since I wasn't so flexible that I could reach around my back.

"Need some help with that?"

Haruhi took the ends of the cloth and wrapped it around a final time before tying it down at the small of my back.

"Thank you," I said, admiring the illusion of being flat-chested.

Haruhi handed me the uniform shirt and I buttoned it up to my throat, slipping the blue jacket on over it. When I'd finished buckling the dress shoes on, I just looked like a flat-chested, cross-dressing girl.

It was probably my long hair...

"Kiaaaa-chaaaan," Hikaru called from outside. "Can we come in?"

"That's fine," I replied, yawning at the end of my sentence. After all the excitement, I'd forgotten how tired I was.

"Oookay, hold still!" Kaoru told me cheerfully, twisting my hair back into a ponytail. "Hairdressers Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin at your service!"

I sat still while the twins played with my hair, arguing how they should put it up.

"Kaoru, no one is even going to see it! Why does it need to look like that?"

"What if the wig falls off? Then where would we be?"

"The wig isn't going to fall off, idiot! Just pull it back and be done with it!"

I yawned again as Hikaru and Kaoru continued to argue over the state of my hair. The two of them were just so funny sometimes.

They finally settled on something that I hadn't been paying attention to and fiddled with a boy-short hairpiece, eventually squabbling over that as well.

"Ta-da!" the pair declared after a while. "Now presenting the new temporary Host!"

The twins pulled the curtain open and ushered me out into the music room, where the rest of the Hosts waited for me.

"Wow, Kia-chan is so _cute_!" Honey-senpai squeaked.

"Not bad," Kyoya commented, but his tone was more of an elongated sigh rather than a word of approval.

"We could be twins, Kia," Haruhi commented, noting the similar hairstyle we donned.

"Yeah." Mori-senpai gave his usual one-word answer, although I couldn't tell who he was agreeing with.

"Woow~!" Tamaki jumped up and down like a little boy in a candy store. "You look just like a gentleman! Why, you're almost as cute as Haruhi!"

"Senpai, what have I told you about calling me cute?!"

I noticed Mai sitting in the corner, tugging at his rattail. He stared at me with an indifferent expression, blue eyes thoughtful.

"Mai," I asked. "Are you okay?"

"Your voice, Kia," Mai grumbled. "If we're turning you into a Host, then you can't sound like a girl."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked. "Lower my voice, or something?"

"I dunno. Ask them, or whatever."

"Mai, why are you mad at me?"

"At you?" Mai tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I'm pissed at the Hosts."

"Why?"

"Cuz I could just punch Beni-bitch again and get everything over with. We didn't have to turn you into a guy..."

"Who knows?" I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood. "It could be fun..."

"Kia, being a Host is everything but fun."

"Nonsense!" Tamaki declared, pointing a finger at Mai. "Being a Host is the greatest thing in the world!"

"Hey Boss, what are we going to call Kia-chan?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah," Kaoru agreed. "Kia-chan is such a girly name..."

"We could call her... Um... Kai!"

"Kai?" Mai asked absently. "That's just mixing up the letters of her name. Call her 'Koji.'"

Hikaru and Kaoru, who stood on both sides of me, froze up. "M-Mai, are you sure—"

Mai's glare was deadly. The twins' mouths snapped shut.

"Okay, from today until the Zuka Club has left, your name is Koji!" Tamaki grinned widely, like he was proud of himself.

"Mai, why 'Koji?'" I asked.

The corners of Mai's lips turned up into a would-be smile. "Cuz... You're like a little sibling to me."

"Thanks," I replied and smiled.

"As for your voice... Well, you know when you sing you have a head and a chest voice?"

"Yep."

"Just talk in your chest voice."

"Oh," I said. "Alright. Seems simple enough."

"Hey Boss!" the twins shouted in unison. "Koji-kun needs a mentor!"

"Oh~!" Tamaki rubbed his chin, like he was deep in thought.

Hikaru smiled a cat-like grin. "Kaoru and I volunteer as tribute!"

"Hell no!" Mai protested. "I get to be Kia's mentor!"

"You're both wrong," Kyoya grumbled. "Haruhi will mentor Miss Kuchikia."

I didn't like how he called me by my last name. I guess it was better than 'Aisare,' though.

"Earlier, Haruhi noted that they look similar. We could play them off as cousins."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" I chirped approvingly. My happiness quickly disappeared under Kyoya's thick glare.

Mai exhaled loudly, which sent his bangs flying. "Well, at least you're not stuck with the twins..."

I said nothing; I wasn't often one to make biased comments, since I was fond of Mai as well as the twins (despite their endless mischief).

"Does that mean Haru-chan gets to tutor Kia-chan, too?" Honey-senpai asked with large eyes.

"Yes, Honey-senpai," Kyoya answered.

"Tutor?" I asked blankly.

"Don't worry, it's not difficult or anything," Haruhi assured me.

Mai, on the other hand, patted my shoulder and gave me an apologetic smirk. "Good luck. You'll need it."

* * *

"Let's review," Haruhi sighed, "everything you've learned so far."

I exhaled and rested my chin on the palm of my hand. "My name is Koji Fujioka, relative of Haruhi on her mother's side. I'm visiting Ouran for the festival because I'm considering attending school here, and the Hosts have taken me in as a prospective member of the Host Club so that I'll have a front-seat experience to everything that goes on at Ouran."

"Good," Haruhi commended. "And the Hosting lessons?"

"Smile, and keep any guests entertained," I replied tiredly. "Use basic table manners, pour the tea for your guests, and place your pinky under a glass when you set it down to mute the noise of the glass touching the top of the table."

"I guess you've got it, then."

"How do you do this every day, Haruhi?" I sighed. "It's so boring. I don't see the good in entertaining spoiled young women who think that everything in life is just going to come to them."

Haruhi blinked. "Wow, Kia. I didn't expect to hear that from you."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, er... You're, you know..."

"Just because my family is lucky enough to have money doesn't mean I don't appreciate it like the rest of the ostentatious students at this school. Unlike everyone else here, I have to work to impress my parents in order to inherit my father's company. I'm an only child, so they're forced to focus on me."

"I don't think I've ever heard that before."

"I know you work hard too, Haruhi. I hate that the Hosts and everyone else treat lower-class citizens like footstools."

Haruhi gave a short laugh. "We can absolutely pass you off as being related to me."

"You think?"

"Yeah. I'm not worried."

"I'm glad you're not worried," I replied sheepishly. "Because I'm a little nervous..."

"Why?"

"Benio Amakusa makes me feel uncomfortable. Are you sure she won't get near me as a boy?"

"Trust me, Kia. As long as you're with the Host Club, they won't touch you. I think we repulse them."

"I could see that being a possibility," I mumbled. "No offense."

"None taken. I can see it too."

I gave a rueful smile; Haruhi directed her attention towards the door of the Host Club.

"Okay, Hosts! The Host Club is officially opening for business!"

"Ready, Koji?"

I took a deep breath through my nose, exhaling out my mouth. "Ready."

Kyoya opened the doors to the Music Room, and my exhalation caught in my throat as I awaited the throng of selfish young ladies who were about to make this day a whole lot worse.

* * *

**So, this chapter was a bit shorter than I wanted it to be... I ended up having to split it in two, but I'll publish the next part soon. I PROMISE.**

**This kind of reflects my feeling today. I woke up at 8 AM this morning for absolutely no reason whatsoever, and I'm super fucking tired and really extremely pissed off. Pardon my use of colorful metaphors.**

**Well. Anyways, thanks for reading!**

**See ya ;D**

**-Eibon**


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